Salvator Mundi by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1500) is the most expensive painting ever sold as of 2019. It sold for $450 million.
What makes the stratospheric price even more remarkable? The poster-sized painting, which features Jesus Christ holding a crystal orb, sold in 1958 for $60 at another Christie's auction. Back then, skeptics dismissed it as a copy of the Old Master's work.The record price at Wednesday's auction defied critics who remain skeptical about the painting's provenance. It's said to have been commissioned by King Louis XII of France and later owned by King Charles I of England.
The painting was lost in the 18th century, and then resurfaced in the 20th. The most recent owner, Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev, pocketed $400 million from the sale. The rest goes to Christie's. The buyer is unknown.
